Emilia Clarke emerges from an underground cave system in horror film When Darkness Loves Us
James Ashcroft made his feature directorial debut with the 2021 serial killer thriller Coming Home in the Dark and followed that up with the horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen. Now, Deadline reports that Ashcroft recently wrapped production on his fourth feature – and he stayed in the genre for this one. Ashcroft’s latest is a horror movie called When Darkness Loves Us, and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Secret Invasion) has the lead role.
What is When Darkness Loves Us about?
Based on Elizabeth Engstrom’s 1980s novella of the same name, When Darkness Loves Us follows a young woman (Clarke) who, after surviving 15 years trapped in an underground cave system, returns to the surface to reclaim the family she believes is hers, no matter the monstrous cost.
Ashcroft wrote the screenplay with Hayley Sproull and Eli Kent.
Who’s in the cast?
Emilia Clarke is joined in the cast by Marlon Williams (Sweet Tooth, The Twelve), Victoria Pedretti (You, Forbidden Fruits), and Natascha McElhone (The Truman Show, The Crown). Details on their characters have not been revealed.
Behind the Scenes
Desray Armstrong produced When Darkness Loves Us, with Ant Timpson serving as executive producer alongside Ashcroft, Clarke, Katherine Bridle, Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson and Tyler DiNapoli. Umbrella’s Ari Harrison and Jasmin McSweeney, Nicola Smith, and Bleecker’s Miranda King are associate producers. The project was financed by the New Zealand Film Commission, Images & Sound, and the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate, cashflowed by Hinterland and Natixis Coficiné.
Bleecker Street backed the project early on and holds the global distribution rights – except in Australia and New Zealand, where the movie will be released by Umbrella Entertainment and Aotearoa New Zealand, respectively.
Statements
Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson provided the following statement: “The term ‘world-building’ is wildly overused, but the degree to which James and team have built a subterranean universe cannot be understated. This film is a true journey into the darkness, literally and figuratively, and we can’t wait to shock audiences worldwide with James’ singular vision.“
Ashcroft added, “My passion for Elizabeth Engstrom’s story remains boundless; what an absolute gift it has been bringing this work to the screen. With When Darkness Loves Us, Liz never lets us forget that the actions of her characters are by turns both tragic and monstrous — no matter how sympathetic they may be. But it’s their indelible humanity that can’t be so easily shaken off afterwards, and that’s when we find ourselves at home in the darkness with them.“
You might have noticed that the opening paragraph skipped over Ashcroft’s third feature. That’s because it hasn’t been released yet. A serial killer thriller called The Whisper Man, it’s going to be released through the Netflix streaming service sometime this year and has a great cast, including Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, and Michael Keaton.
Now, we wait for release dates to be announced for both The Whisper Man and When Darkness Loves Us. Does When Darkness Loves Us sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this James Ashcroft / Emilia Clarke horror project by leaving a comment below.
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